Trailer estimation and blind spot information system performance improvement

• US 10,286,916 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2016
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aptiv Technologies AG (Aptiv PLC)
• Original Assignee: Aptiv Technologies Limited (Aptiv PLC)
• Inventors: Prasad, Premchand Krishna, Cashler, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr E
• Application Number:
  US15/186,601
• Publication Number:
  US 20170363727A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,058 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2300/14 Tractor-trailers, i.e. combinations of a towing vehicle and one or more towed vehicles, e.g. caravans; Road trains
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/22 Articulation angle, e.g. between tractor and trailer
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/12 related to parameters of the vehicle itself , e.g. tyre models
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/865 Combination of radar systems with lidar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/88 Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9315 Monitoring blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93272 in the back of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93274 on the side of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/411 Identification of targets based on measurements of radar reflectivity G01S7/415 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A blind-spot detection system includes an angle-detector, a radar-sensor, and a controller. The angle-sensor is used to determine a trailer-angle relative to a host-vehicle of a trailer being towed by the host-vehicle. The radar-sensor is used to detect an other-vehicle present in a blind-zone proximate to the host-vehicle. The controller is in communication with the angle-detector and the radar-sensor. The controller is configured to adjust a sensing-boundary that defines the blind-zone based on the trailer-angle.

Claims

1. A blind-spot detection system configured to detect objects proximate to a blind-spot of an operator of a vehicle, said system comprising:

an angle-detector used to determine a trailer-angle relative to a host-vehicle of a trailer being towed by the host-vehicle;

a radar-sensor used to detect an other-vehicle present in a blind-zone proximate to the host-vehicle;

a controller in communication with the angle-detector and the radar-sensor, said controller configured to adjust a sensing-boundary that defines the blind-zone based on the trailer-angle.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the system includes an alert-device detectable by the operator of the vehicle, and the controller is further configured to activate the alert-device when the other-vehicle is detected within the sensing-boundary.

3. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the angle-detector includes a yaw-sensor used to determine a yaw-rate of the host-vehicle, and the trailer-angle is determined based on the yaw-rate.

4. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to use the radar-sensor to determine a relative-velocity of a tracked-target associated with the trailer, and determine the trailer-angle based on a longitudinal-velocity and a lateral-velocity.

5. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a trailer-boundary based on the trailer-angle, said trailer-boundary used to adjust the blind-zone.

6. A method to detect an other-vehicle proximate to a blind-spot of an operator of a host-vehicle, said method comprising:

receiving an indication of a trailer-angle of a trailer towed by the host-vehicle from an angle-detector;

receiving an indication of an other-vehicle present in a blind-zone proximate to the host-vehicle from a radar sensor; and

adjusting a sensing-boundary that defines the blind-zone based on the trailer-angle.

7. The method in accordance with claim 6, wherein the method includes activating an alert-device detectable by the operator when the other-vehicle is detected within the sensing-boundary.

8. The method in accordance with claim 6, wherein the method includes determining a yaw-rate of the host-vehicle, and determining the trailer-angle based on the yaw-rate.

9. The method in accordance with claim 6, wherein the method includes determining a relative-velocity of a tracked-target associated with the trailer, and determining the trailer-angle based on the relative-velocity.

10. The method in accordance with claim 6, wherein the method includes determining a trailer-boundary based on the trailer-angle, and further adjusting the blind-zone based on the trailer-boundary.